Rivers 'til I Reach You
by Crittab
Summary: Daryl finds a guitar and surprises folks by actually knowing how to play it. Set early on season 3.


**Rivers 'til I Reach You**

**Rated K+ for language**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own The Walking Dead or _Rivers and Roads_ by The Head and the Heart.

**Summary: **Daryl finds a guitar, and surprises folks by actually knowing how to play it. Little Daryl/Beth scene. (Not shippy at all; just adorable, I hope!) Set early on season 3.

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**Rivers 'til I Reach You**

Daryl was a man of many talents. Most of 'em were obvious – huntin', killin' walkers, takin' care of shit when shit needed takin' care of – but some of 'em were hidden. Some he didn't think needed knowin', and others he was just too damn introverted to offer up.

Like the time Dale found a guitar on the roadside and gave it to Glenn, on the off chance the younger man would know how to play. He didn't, clearly, but Daryl did. Not that he'd had any inclination to tell folks about it.

Daryl thought about it when he saw the familiar instrument. Thought about pullin' it out and strummin' a few tunes – maybe even singin' along if the mood was right. But he just _couldn't_. For him, playin', singin'... those days were gone. Hell, those days had mostly been private anyhow, save for the one girl he thought he'd try to impress with a love song when they were young and stupid.

But nowadays, sittin' in the still and quiet of the prison, he felt his fingers tingle in the way they used to when he'd been without his guitar for too long. He missed it. Oftentimes, he found himself wishin' he'd grabbed it to take along huntin' with Merle in the days before the outbreak. Merle would'a looked at him like he had horns growin' outta his head, but it would'a been worth it, he thought, to have music in his life again. Well, more music than Beth could provide, that is.

Sometimes she would sing a song he remembered the chords to, and his fingers would depress into his palms as he mentally went through the melody, a reminder that the more simple and carefree parts of him still existed, somewhere, despite not being accessed all that often.

And so, after nearly two years without his old instrument, he didn't think twice about grabbin' an old, beat up acoustic from the trunk of an abandoned car during a supply run. Two years ago he barely knew the people he lived with, and wouldn't 'a wanted to draw attention to himself. Now, they were family. Family knew things about one another. He might as well give it a shot, he figured.

He got more than a few raised eyebrows when he returned to the prison toting the big black case, but nobody said much. They probably figured it was another Dale situation – someone picking up random crap that nobody could really make heads or tails of.

Daryl scoffed at that thought. He wasn't about to bring in anythin' they didn't need. Far as he was concerned, this was somethin' he _needed_.

It was getting late, some nights later, when he finally pulled the guitar from its case for the first time, looked over the strings and smiled when they seemed to be in working order. He tuned, using just his well-trained ear as a guide, and strummed a chord. The sound reverberated throughout the prison walls, and the group down below looked up at him with similarly baffled grins. He grabbed the instrument by the neck and made his way about halfway down the stairs, sat down on a step, and positioned the guitar in his lap.

"Beth," he called out. She looked up at him, almost startled to hear his gruff voice speaking her name. "What you singin' tonight?" he questioned. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked around at the group, seeing a chorus of vaguely amused grins looking back at her.

"Uh..." she looked to Maggie and Hershel for some help, before turning back to Daryl. "You know_ Rivers and Roads_?" she questioned. The older man grinned and began strumming a few notes, surprising the group with his capability. Beth grinned as she recognized the song she hadn't heard in years.

"You gotta sing too," she spoke over his intro. Daryl rolled his eyes but gave a short nod before she started the first verse.

"A year from now we'll all be gone;  
All our friends will move away;  
And they're going to better places;  
But our friends will be gone away."

The group relaxed around the space as she sang, soaking up the lyrics that seemed to tell their story in such clear detail.

Daryl surprised the group by picking up the next verse.

"Nothing is as it has been;  
And I miss your face like hell;  
And I guess it's just as well;  
But I miss your face like hell."

They sang together for the rest, Beth lookin' up at the man who had his eyes trained securely on the fret board, unwilling to make eye contact. One small step at a time, he figured.

"Been talking 'bout the way things change;  
And my family lives in a different state;  
And if you don't know what to make of this;  
Then we will not relate;  
So if you don't know what to make of this;  
Then we will not relate.

"Rivers and roads;  
Rivers and roads;  
Rivers 'til I reach you."

As the last few notes fell away, the group shared a moment just to live in the comfortable, if slightly heavy silence that followed.

Nobody questioned Daryl about the guitar after that.

**End**

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I'm not a fan of song fics, but I just like the idea of Daryl playing the guitar and accompanying Beth. He strikes me as the kind of guy who might have a _few_ hidden talents.

Plus, this is just a really good song.

Hope you liked it. Let me know.


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